


For King and Country

by DrSnoots



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrSnoots/pseuds/DrSnoots
Summary: Towering above him, dark eyes glowering like red hot irons into his own, was a man unlike any Hinata had ever seen. None of the visiting adventurers or passing knights could have come close to such a presence. Such a weight to their very gaze. It was all Hinata could do to meet it. Should he be meeting it? But it was impossible to look away.The towering fellow looked woefully unhappy, but there was an edge to his expression that left no room for questioning why or giving sympathy. His skin was flawless parchment, his hair an inky night sky. Arms folded in displeasure across his broad chest rippled with obvious strength even under his wondrous clothes. The fingernails on his hands were clean. Who on earth had such clean fingernails?Hinata is a serf that dreams of glory; Kageyama is his King who has lost almost everything in only a few short months of rule. Will the Kingdom of Crows fly again?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	For King and Country

**Author's Note:**

> I found so many amazing Haikyuu fics here and it inspired me to try one myself! I have some ideas on where to go next; tell me what you think!

Of all the Kingdoms in all the land, none had a bloodier history than Karasuno. As far back as most cared to remember, their monarchs had all been mighty in both ambition and military prowess; Karasuno always had its eyes turned towards the next campaign, the next victory. They tore through the world and took what they pleased in the name of glory. The only living things ever happy to see their banners pass the horizon were the carrion birds - this, combined with their army’s penchant towards soot-smeared faces and blackened armor earned them the moniker “Kingdom of Crows” from the common folk. But, as it was often darkly said in the war tents of Karasuno’s many, many enemies, “A bird who opens its beak for the next meal loses what it already held.”

In His Majesty King Kageyama Tobio’s first year of rule, Karasuno was flying against a typhoon of retribution from those his father and grandfather had wronged. Every overthrown noble, deposed king, and disgraced house that had survived Karasuno’s swords had fled to the East and licked their wounds together in the hospitality of Emperor Toru Oikawa. His realm, the great Aobajohsai Empire, was the only force that could ever stand against the Army of Crows and for generations they had done nothing but defend their borders, fend off prodding skirmishes, and give Karasuno the impression of a sleepy giant who was too wise (or cowardly) to press the attack themselves. 

This had been exactly the image the Empire was hoping to cultivate. As Karasuno pillaged, they moved ahead quickly to their next victim, never pausing their onslaught to consolidate influence in the lands they demanded tribute from. This created the ideal environment for Aobajohsai’s agents who would waste no time in gathering the downtrodden together. At night while occupying forces slept the farmers and shopkeepers would hear that their Duke or Countess or Prince lived on in the East; and that when the time came they would come back to liberate them from the ravenous crows who had taken so much. Plans were made, weapons hidden away. In half of Karasuno’s conquered territory, a fire smoldered in the eyes of every stableboy and milkmaid as they waited for the sign.

This sign came just months after Kageyama’s father, the previous king, fell in battle during a reckless and proud charge at the frontlines. It had been what Emperor Oikawa had been waiting for, a crack in confidence, a new and unproven leader; he sent the messengers and in a single night Karasuno was ablaze. While the rebel commoners poisoned garrison food and mobbed their unguarded puppet governors, the army Aobajohsai had been training with the confederation of foes Karasuno had pushed East now surged back - a storm of vengeance.

His Majesty King Kageyama Tobio was in a position no one would envy. 

“Your Grace!” Kageyama wished to never hear Sugawara’s voice again call for him in this disgraceful tone; panic and hopelessness all but naked under the thinnest veneer of propriety. “Our scouts return; the enemy have more than twenty thousand men crossing the river as we speak! The outpost they are targeting will need to retreat, they don’t have the supplies to survive a siege!”

The young King didn’t even have time to balk at his father’s spymaster; his sharp eyes turned to the map in front of him. They had more men there than he had anticipated; this was not a key area to take, they must simply have that many soldiers to spare with no other urgent target. He would say it was a disaster, but this did not even get close to making the list of disasters he was facing today.

“It is lost then, send a messenger; the garrison is to abandon their posts and move to support the Castle here-” he stabbed the map with enough force to dislodge the ring from his finger. His fingers were too thin, he was too thin, he wasn’t eating enough but there was no time, “-if they can get there before these scum cross the river then-”

“Your Grace,” Sugawara’s voice, shaky with that insolent panic again, “The castle north of the outpost will surely fall before the message and reinforcements arrive, the Empire also moves from the north…”

“Together and inside the walls, they would be more than a match for twenty, no, forty thousand men with their combat experience. It will work.” It was simple and concrete, military tactics that any soldier understood, let alone a man with Sugawara’s knowledge. Why was he saying this? 

“Your Grace, it is a good plan, and normally it would be sound-” The stress was showing easily in the normally guarded expression the pale blonde wore. “-but I do not believe they will make it now.”

“WHY NOT?” Kageyama roared, “I know how fast a messenger can ride, I know how fast men can march! They should be able to make it in this terrain-”

“They will not.” The answer was instant, the spymaster looked almost apologetic. “They will not have the spirit to make the journey with the speed required. Have you heard what their messages say? Fires from the villages all around them blanket the horizon. It clouds their vision and their spirits. They know we are beset from all sides and even from within. Morale is low. They will not be fast enough.” Sugawara’s quiet voice and direct stare left little room to argue. But King Kageyama was quite deft at arguing in even tight spaces. 

“If the messenger is FAST ENOUGH and the garrison is FAST ENOUGH,” his teeth grit together painfully, felt like they could shatter, “We can save the castle - save their lives! What is the alternative?”

“You must accept their limitations,” Sugawara spoke so softly. Kageyama preferred the panic to this.”Lose the territory here, or believe they will fight for you in hopelessness like they did for your father in glory and lose their lives as well.”

It didn’t make any sense. “How many of them will die trying to return to us? There are countless rebels and Empire forces between us - why would they have a better chance running than fighting?” 

“A hopeless man can run far better returning home than he can into the enemy’s spears.” Then, as an afterthought, “Your Grace.”

“Are our men so weak?” Kageyama felt sick, disillusioned, disappointed, alone. Was he the only one who still wanted to fight the ones who had killed his Father? Who had reversed the holdings of the last hundred years in one night? How was this possible? If everyone would just fight-

“Few are as strong as you, Your Grace.” Sugawara seemed too exhausted to stop himself from letting his improper frustration with his new liege show. “Your greatest weakness at the moment seems to be not realizing this.”

As if to illustrate his point, the spymaster left the room, leaving His Majesty King Kageyama Tobio alone with his battle map. No other general protected his flank, no advisor wrung their hands and urged him to caution, there was only silence and his own deep disappointment in himself. 

As soon as his father had fallen he had been ready - Prince Kageyama was, even at his age, undoubtedly the finest warrior and tactician in all the realm. He was a veteran of more bloody battles than most retired Crow officers and his quick wit and planning had secured them many victories that more experienced men at his father’s side had called impossible. He was a military genius. Everyone knew it, including himself. No one was his match, likely in the world. Which was why when know-nothing cowards had pressed into his strategy meetings after his father’s death he had given them all easy ultimatums - be silent and follow orders or feel free to leave. 

They all eventually had, most hurrying back to their personal estates with their personal troops hoping to protect their own holdings. Kageyama had not been counting on how quickly and easily men abandoned their duties in the face of uncertainty - he was left now with only his father’s personal troops for the most part, almost all of the Aristocracy were ignoring his missives and some had even gone to parley with the Empire on their own.

If they had just done as he’d said, been brave enough, been fast enough, been strong enough, none of this would have been enough to stop Karasuno. 

But they weren’t. His warriors weren’t invincible like he’d believed. And he was no true King. He had failed to rally his people in their time of greatest need, and the latest news was just one failure in a sea of failures. 

All that he could do now was stop the bloodshed and mourn.  
\---

The Crow’s wings had been clipped, and the land rejoiced. Every downtrodden foe that had sworn fealty to the Empire in exchange for their revenge were raising their banners over their burnt out homes; crying out their eyes and their hearts to the heavens in thanks for long awaited justice. 

Duke Kuroo of Nekoma, The House of Bokuto in Fukurodani, The Mighty Warrior-King Ushijima from Shiratorizawa; all of Karasuno’s most powerful foes were back in their thrones and Kageyama had lowered his head to them all in surrender. 

The peace talks had gone surprisingly smoothly. Everyone in the room knew exactly how things stood and exactly how they had to go; Kageyama had been surprised at how easy it had been. Everything his father took went back. Everything his grandfather took went back. Karasuno’s borders were pushed back to the mountain pass that they could likely hold for years with only a handful of troops, it would have been foolish for anyone to pretend taking that from Karasuno would be possible. Reparations would be paid from Karasuno for years to the Empire who would fund the restoration of the battle-scarred lands the Crows had feasted upon. But in a surprising touch of mercy, trade agreements were penned alongside non-aggression pacts. In his infinite wisdom (and arrogance, Kageyama would fume to himself later), Emperor Oikawa had declared that a little world changing war should by no means get in the way of Karasuno’s pork exports which were a vital part of his monthly feasts. 

Karasuno was allowed to survive, albeit with an economy too crippled to build a surplus of troops and barely enough rocky farmland to feed its remaining people. More mercy than they deserved, most would bray, but better to have them alive and stewing in their failure than to give them the honorable death in battle the bloodthirsty crows craved. 

Afterwards, King Kageyama returned to the only fortress remaining to him, the first stronghold his great grandfather had commissioned after his crowning - one that had fallen into disrepair and neglect as the warlords focused ever forward. It was barely standing now. Not seemly for a Kingdom’s capital. But it would have to do. In this dusty, cracked shell he stood next to Sugawara watching the servants busying themselves with the impossible task of turning a rat’s nest into a throne room.

Where the cobwebs had been there would be coffers. Where the animal dung was, a dining hall. They would sleep where the bats had slept. Sugawara breathed in deep.

The spymaster’s thoughts were disjointed, but it felt like a restful sleep next to the impossible flow of information that had been assaulting him during what was now being called “The Owl’s Hunt.” The Empire’s proud Owl crest now adorned almost every castle turret between here and Aobajosai but even that couldn’t put a damper on Sugawara’s spirits. He, his liege, his people were alive and rebuilding. It seemed a beautiful victory, even though it was in fact their greatest defeat. A bit ironic.

Turning to his side, he couldn’t help but notice his liege’s spirits seemed bolstered as well. Kageyama certainly looked much healthier. His mortal enemies had fed him well during deliberations, and with everything over and done with, he had finally submitted to sleep. His clothes, while still a valuable brocade of fine linen inlaid with golden thread, were worn and filthy. His crown lay forgotten in the care of a nervous chauffeur by the carriage that carried them here. 

“Who remains with us?” And his voice was nothing like it had been the previous months. Sugawara shivered. 

“Lord Sawamura, of course.” The first to come to mind, a man others looked to in the crisis. The man who had been trusted to the mountain pass with this fortress hidden within during the Owl’s hunt. His men and defensive tactics had been what caused Karasuno’s keeping this territory a foregone conclusion in the treaty. 

“Good. We’ll need him here. Even bandits and pirates are a threat with only our personal guard.” It was shameful, but true. Many soldiers had deserted or could no longer be paid. 

“We also still have Tanaka.” 

“Hmm… I feel like I should be surprised, but I’m not.”

“I know what you mean!” Sugawara marvelled internally that he was still capable of a real laugh after everything. Tanaka. Brash, gruff, simple, but loyal. The mercenary captain turned noble had flourished under his father’s rule and earned his bloodline a legacy. How much use were his men when raiding was off of the table? But his dependability would be valuable.

“What of Tsukishima?”

“We are awaiting contact from Lord Tsukishima.”

“If he decides to rebel and start a civil war in what little land we have left I’ll execute him myself.” 

“I believe if he was going to do that he would have made his move before the Empire drew the border with his home on our side, Your Grace.”

“Hmm…” Tsukishima had made no secret of his disdain for what he called a ‘boy king commanding his betters’, but he had also never given up trying to fulfill his orders, unlike most.

“A few other minor houses, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita - we can still count on them.”  
The names that went unspoken hung in the air for a moment. News of Lord Asahi Azumane’s defection to the Empire out of fear for his people’s lives was very in character for the two-faced man. The deadliest lance on any battlefield matched with a child’s shaking heart - he either won in one charge or ordered a retreat. Against Aobajohsai he had not won in a single charge. The mighty Sir Nishinoya was also in Asahi’s retinue. The loss of both of them, even after everything, was an unexpected blow. 

“What remains is not much, but it will be enough.” Kageyama nodded to himself. “We will need to take stock, solidify what defenses we have for the people, expand our farmland where we can, and prepare for the winter.”

“I agree, Your Grace,” Luckily there was still time, but the first frost loomed dangerously ahead; with things being as they were and with almost no stockpile any more, the most immediate danger to them all was starving before the year was out. “To whom should I send your commands?”

A pause. Fingers crossing over his chin in royal contemplation, Kageyama shook his head. “You will send no missives. You will send invitations.”

“Invitations, Kageyama?” The King raised an eyebrow at being called by his name but said nothing, and shook his head before Sugawara could apologize for this breach of decorum. 

“I have learned at least one thing from all this and I will not make the same mistake again. The nobles - even if their advice is useless they should at least feel heard. And it will be too much for me alone. Send for those whom you deem necessary for a council. They will be granted authority over certain matters and I will delegate duties to them. Have them here as soon as you can, Suga.”

“I’ll see it done.”

“Very good.” Suddenly, another flash of inspiration. “And visit the village soon. Find me a representative for the serfs who can speak for them. Nothing will be as important as the plow this season, and we’ll need to act quickly.” 

With that, His Majesty King Kageyama Tobio marched ahead, leaving Sugawara speechless. In the distance the spymaster could just barely hear his liege complaining at the insultingly slow speed at which the room was coming together. 

\---

Less than a morning’s walk away, Hinata Shoyo dug in the dirt.

“Dig and dig and-” Ouch, “hit my toe~” he grunted in a sing-song rhythm with every swing of his hoe into the stubborn, gravelly soil. “Hit my toe and diiiiig.” He’d been toiling since sun-up like always and was making good progress; compared to his mother and sister he was probably at least ten times further along with the field. If only his Papa was here; they’d be done already and they could start sowing their meager seeds from last year’s crop.

But Papa was dead. So it was up to him. 

“Dig and dig and STRIKE!” Without giving the poor ground a chance to react he pivoted into his battle-stance, turning his hoe into a mighty knight’s lance which he thrusted mercilessly into the dust again and again. “Hah! Hah! RAAAAAAAAA-!”

“Don’t play with that!” His mother’s tired voice almost didn’t reach him. “We can’t afford the smithy fixing it if it cracks!”

“I’m not gonna crack it!” He shouted back easily. Although he had in the past. Remembering that, he took a break from the monotony of breaking the ground and started thrusting his lance through the air instead. Just like his Papa taught him when he was home, plant the feet just so, anchor the direction with the off hand, use the hips and shoulders to add strength to the blow - “Hah! Hah!” He’d just do a hundred swings to help the ache in his back from bending over so much and then get back to it.

“Great form as always - these pebbles don’t know what they’re up against!” The teasing brought nothing but a smile to Hinata’s face - distractions from labor were always welcome.

He rose to his full height (which wasn’t much of course) and twisted his sun-kissed face into his best sneer. “They begged for mercy, but I had none to give.” Hinata’s evil laughter was slapped into a sputtering cough by the visitor’s calloused hand against his back.

“Take a break from your brutality for a moment you beast,” Ukai’s eyes sparked with warmth - the innkeep was one of the only men who remained in this tiny spit of a village: most had long ago been swallowed up by the aggressive recruiting of the Karasuno war machine. Few had returned. “We need to talk to your Mother about something.”

“Alright,” Hinata agreed easily. “Do you need me to run an errand?”

“Hmm. Something like that.”

“It’ll cost you.” Hinata was using his ‘evil warrior’ voice again. “Your home or your firstborn. You may decide.”

“How about I let your family have whatever stew I can’t pawn off on anybody tonight?”

“Any meat in it?”

“Fish.”

“The deal is struck.” The farmer boomed with the finality of a judge’s sentence, right before Ukai slapped his voice back to normal with another affectionate slap, this time to the back of his head. “HEY-.” 

“And maybe some dried fruit just for you -” a tantalizingly full bag was produced from Ukai’s satchel conspiratorially, “I don’t know if you’ll be back to enjoy any of the stew yourself tonight. It’s quite the errand,” he teased knowingly, “IF your Mother lets you go.” 

“How far?” Hinata asked excitedly. Any chance to go anywhere or do anything new was a rare occurrence, and one that he relished. 

“Well let’s see what she says.”

\----

“Absolutely NOT!”

“Aw, come on!” Hinata struck using his whining as a weapon, searching for cracks in his Mother’s defenses. “ It’s not far at all-” That won’t work, change direction, “You never let me do anything!”

“The distance is not the problem, it’s who you’d be going to see! You’re covered in muck, haven’t had a bath in who knows how long-”

“I’ll swim in the stream on the way!”

“In the stream? You realize Ukai is talking about NOBILITY? Filthy river water won’t fix your hair, or your CLOTHES-” 

“They’re not expecting him to attend a fancy dinner party you know,” Ukai was coming to his aid, this was probably his best chance! “The fancy man said they need someone that knows farming and knows the people. Nobody here works harder and gets more done in the fields than Shoyo.” Hinata felt himself warm and inflate at the praise. “And nobody chats incessantly at everyone in my place like he does either, so I reckon he has more an idea of the state of things than anybody.”

But Mother wasn’t giving up that easy: “He’s too young! You should be going!” 

“Ukai doesn’t even know what the weeds are!” Hinata cried.

“And Shoyo came of age a while ago. He should be finding a wife already, his growth is just stunted,” Ukai stated matter-of-factly. Normally stating the obvious aloud would make the shorter than average boy in question attack in impotent fury, but instead he nodded along vigorously. “I doubt anybody else in town is enough of a loudmouth to actually say anything in front of folk as fancy as that either. Shoyo’s the only choice. It ain’t a big thing - just him giving them the rundown of our harvest last year, our situation this year. Who knows, he might be able to secure us some new supplies.”

His Mother was pausing, wavering. Victory. “Did you even ask what lord was even taking an interest in our little village? I heard men were moving back into the old castle already but…” Word had not quite spread of the full gravity of the political situation abroad in this sleepy hamlet. Like most common folk they paid their tithe to whatever lord showed up and thought of their own concerns the rest of the time. “If it is Lord Sawamura it may be okay. I remember seeing him and his men marching through some years back. He seemed much more gallant than most filthy soldiers.”

“I bet it’s him Mother, who else has ever come out this way!” Hinata was excited. He remembered the day Lord Sawamura came marching through as well. It had been years ago, but the memory was fresh as yesterday - among the gleaming towers of steel warriors there had been one that stood out from the crowd, a grown man, even shorter than Hinata himself, who held aloft a lance easily twice his size with pride and strength. A well known warrior, a legend amongst travelling storytellers there in front of his eyes: Karasuno’s Little Giant. 

Somewhere between training with his father and seeing that man, Hinata had settled on his dream. He wanted to be a knight. Take up the title and lance. Protect his family and village just as his father had. Just as the Little Giant had. He knew both of them had died in their duty and knew that his Mother would be against it. Which is why he hadn’t told her, had simply practiced his swing with farm tools before sunrise and checked in at the tavern every night for travelers who might trade their sword techniques or battlefield stories for an errand or a sincere smile. 

This errand to the castle was necessary to his dream he suddenly knew. If a lord was back in the castle, he could introduce himself. Perhaps one day prove himself. It could be the start of everything.

“I’m going to go Mother, someone needs to do this and I can handle it.” Hinata’s voice was clear. Determined. 

A sigh. “You’ll have to skip the tavern tomorrow to make up for it in our planting.”

“Thank you Mother!” There it was, her baby boy’s blazing smile that turned strangers into friends and friends into life long ones. Perhaps Ukai was right, perhaps it was time her son started paying more attention to the young women. Many were trying their best to not be obvious in how much they wanted that attention. Mothers always pick up on these things. She just wasn’t ready for him to be grown yet…

“You take care and speak when spoken to, Hinata!” The fierceness of her hug surprised both of them.

“Woah Mother, haha, it is just a small errand; I’ll be back soon!” From outside, his sister was peeking in shyly, not even trying to hide her curiosity any more.

“I’ll bring your reward to you tonight, so be sure to be back in time to enjoy it!” Ukai beamed as well, obviously happy at not having to go and make a fool out of himself.

“Just hold on a moment,” Releasing him from the hug, his Mother gave him an appraising look and revealed her final condition. “You really aren’t going in those clothes.”

\----

His father’s best linens hung loosely in the arms, back… everywhere really. It felt like more work than usual making the trek out of the village with the weight of the extra fabric, but his Mother had been emphatic that it was more important to look clean than to wear things that fit.

The sleeves kept falling down every time he rolled them up and the pant legs had to be cuffed almost to the knee, but even looking like this couldn’t take any of the fire out of Hinata’s lungs. The time passed quickly as he imagined what it would be like - a hundred horses, a thousand men in gleaming armor at least, surely. Perhaps in exchange for his knowledge of the surrounding farmland he could practice riding a horse - or shooting a bow! He’d never been able to do that before…

He almost wished the trip would last longer, but the daydream that involved a squireship to the Lord himself was sadly cut short by the stone spire breaking over the horizon. He could hear the activity before he saw it. The pounding of hammers, the barking of orders. The smell of freshly cut trees and smoky campfires. His senses were filled all at once with activity. Hinata’s heart began to beat quickly.

His feet kept going even as doubt sprouted for the first time. Who do I talk to? How would he find the fancy man Ukai had spoken of? What if they told him to go away? What if they ignored him? 

“You there!” Ah. The fancy man. He had been found, that simplified things. It was easy to see why Ukai had called him that. Even the color of his hair, a fair yellow that seemed like it belonged in a fairy tale, was fancy. His skin was pale, he obviously didn’t spend much time outdoors in the sun. Fancy. His clothes seemed impossibly light and impossibly colorful. Very fancy. 

“My good man?” Ah, Hinata had forgotten to reply. 

“Yes, hello!” He laughed, releasing some of the tension swirling in his gut. “I’m from the village, I was told you wanted to see someone-”

“Yes, excellent!” The blonde didn’t let his calculated smile falter, but Hinata had the distinct feeling he was being judged, and harshly. He suddenly felt very self conscious of his too-big clothes, and his lack of shoes, and a million other areas in which he did not compare favorably to the fancy man. “You must be very talented. You seem quite young and I asked the innkeep to send the most knowledgeable man in the village!” 

Yes, he was being doubted. Nothing for it, Hinata was used to being underestimated. 

“Thank you! Our fields do usually have the biggest harvests, but I learned everything I know from my elders and receive a lot of help from my mother and sister, of course! Anything your lord needs to know about the soil, what crops work best when, fertilizer, irrigation, and pest control, I’ll give the best answers I can!

Sugawara paused. In those clothes and at that height from a distance he had thought he was talking to a child, but that was obviously not the case. He breathed himself a small sigh of relief. “My name is Sugawara Koshi. Thank you for coming and offering your expertise.”

Hinata lived for this, that subtle shift in body language and tone that came when people realized he deserved a bit of respect. “Hinata Shoyo, Milord! Thank you for inviting me today!” He bowed deeply before skipping forward to join his host, beaming.

\----

“...and where the soil gets sandy is actually great for certain fruit trees, but you would never plant, say, cabbages there.” As they talked beneath the shade of the castle tower, Sugawara took quick, copious notes. It was fun to talk about things he was knowledgeable about, and he often did with the travelers in the tavern, but Sugawara was shockingly intelligent and understood nearly everything right away. Hinata realized quickly he was speaking to a man who had received a real education. He probably even knew how to read! Well, he was writing, so that meant he probably knew how to read, right? 

“That makes sense. But an orchard wouldn’t fruit this year would it?” 

“Well not a new one, but if you only think about this year things never get the chance to get better you know?”

“Of course, but short term growth is going to have to be our focus this year. I know your village had around 300 acres of arable land as of ten years ago according to my records…

“Oh, well, a lot of that is overgrown right now.”   
A pause. That was unwelcome news. “I was hoping that the acreage had grown since then.” 

“Oh, well, I apologize Milord,” Hinata was breezy, completely innocent to just how grave this revelation was. “We were once a much larger village I hear, before most of our fathers and brothers went off to be soldiers. It’s mostly me, Ukai who I think you met, some sweet old people, and a lot of women!” Hinata’s laugh did nothing to increase the temperature of the air, which shouldn’t be so icy in the middle of the day. “To be the bearer of good news though, if we do plow it all back up the soil should be good and healthy, replenished of all the good things plants need to grow. The quality of the vegetables would be fantastic!” 

“The quality is immaterial.” 

Now there was a voice to give Hinata’s Evil Warrior impression a run for its money. Whether it was his good mood at having such a good talk with Sugawara or the ridiculousness of how brooding that comment was he couldn’t say, but Hinata laughed brightly either way. He failed to notice Sugawara’s frantic body language in time. 

“Are you saying good food isn’t important? Have you ever eaten a bite of a delicious tomato then tried a bite of a flavorless one? There’s nothing sadder in the world!” With that, he turned his head to see what new friend he had just educated with his agricultural knowledge (perhaps Hinata had a problem with overconfidence at times). 

“Starving to death is.” Towering above him, dark eyes glowering like red hot irons into his own, was a man unlike any Hinata had ever seen. None of the visiting adventurers or passing knights had ever had such a presence. Such a weight to their very gaze. It was all Hinata could do to meet it. Should he be meeting it? But it was impossible to look away.

He looked woefully unhappy, but there was an edge to his expression that left no room for questioning why or giving sympathy. His skin was flawless parchment, his hair an inky night sky. Arms folded in displeasure across his broad chest rippled with obvious strength even under his wondrous clothes. The fingernails on his hands were clean. Who on earth had such clean fingernails?

Hinata’s face lit aflame with shame at being the small thing in too-big clothes that he was next to this amazing man.

“Your Grace,” Sugawara was bowing and frantically motioning as subtly as possible for Hinata to do the same, something that the farmer was too in awe to notice. “May I introduce Hinata Shoyo, from the village.”

Sounding very slow indeed, even to his own ears, Hinata squeaked out an uncharacteristically quiet, “Your Grace?”

People who got called Your Grace were quite important indeed. He felt terribly for not knowing who this man with the clean fingernails was, and so quickly scrambled up from his sitting position in the dirt so that he could bow back down and do what he could to reverse such an insolent first impression. “I, uh, apologize Y-Your Grace. For, uh-”

Ignoring him completely, Clean Fingernails turned toward Sugawara. “This boy is who you decided to collect from the serfs.” It was not a question, it was a disappointed observation. “He will be less than useless. Find someone else.” 

Now Hinata’s face was aflame in righteous indignation. “With all due respect, Your Grace,” this was spoken in the same way ‘horse’s ass’ might have been, “There is no one else that knows this land like I do. I’ve been working it all of my life and helping my neighbors work theirs. I’ve been talking with Sugawara and think I understand the situation. You are moving in? Taking up in our old dusty castle? And you need us serfs to feed you - which we will of course be happy to do as thanks for letting us live here, Your Grace,” he couldn’t stop talking, he faintly noticed with growing horror. “But because my village gave their all to support the Kingdom’s army there aren’t enough left to work the fields. If we’re to feed all these men,” Hinata gestured towards the laborers, men-at-arms, and craftsmen flitting about the fortress, “then some of them will need to pick up a hoe before we miss the window for planting. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Silence.

“Your Grace.” Had they been waiting for him to finish with that? Hinata was woefully undereducated in social etiquette with the upper classes. Not many noblemen came to teach him things at Ukai’s after all.

“Sugawara, what was this man’s name?” Clean Fingernails said man this time. Hinata lived for this feeling. But wait, he hadn’t been listening the first time? 

“Your Grace, this is Hinata Shoyo.”

“Hm.” There they were again, those fiery eyes piercing through him. It made Hinata tingle all over - he was sweating through his father’s shirt. Still, he refused to look away. He was quivering, but he kept staring right back. It seemed to him that neither of them moved or blinked for an age. It actually didn’t feel too unpleasant. It was fun. Like a contest. 

“Hinata Shoyo.”

“Y-Yes Your Grace?” Damn, that surprised him, made him look away first, now it seemed impossible to look back towards his face. Hinata managed to focus on the tall man’s lips as he spoke, which moved in a way no other person’s lips had ever moved. The motions were small, almost calculated. No wasted energy, but the command still rang out as loud and clear as any he had heard.  
“You will return tomorrow with a list of the supplies and men needed to begin along with an estimated timetable of each crop’s development if things go smoothly. The following day you can bring me the time tables for each crop’s development accounting for drought or disease. You will also gather an inventory of your village’s agricultural resources - tools, seeds, manpower, livestock, the rest. You will report to me directly each morning or to Sugawara if I am unavailable.”

“I… I see.” 

Kageyama paused, searching again. His gaze made Hinata’s skin so hot wherever it fell, but it was a distant concern right now - his mind was already racing with his newfound responsibilities, priorities, when and how with a little of why dancing around inside his head.

Whatever the King had been looking for, he seemed to have found it. Or not found it. Either way his voice changed. “Can you write?” It wasn’t softer, you couldn’t call any words that came from this precise, fiery man soft, but they seemed to bite a little less.

“No.” He felt no shame in this. Why would anyone have taught him to write?

“You’ll have a lot to remember then until you learn. Be accurate or you will lose your position.” 

“I have a position?” What did that even mean? Hinata’s mind was quick, but things were moving a bit fast even for him.

“For the time being you will have a seat on the Karasuno Council. As you say, we have no time to lose in beginning our work or we will not be able to feed our men. You will be compensated for your work, of course.” A pause. “I’ll be counting on you.”

With that Clean Fingernails marched away with purpose, preparing to spin some other poor man’s head around until nothing made sense anymore.

“Sugawara, who was that?” Hinata asked, desperate to know the answer.

“That man is our King, Hinata.” The Spymaster sighed. 

Hinata wondered at that revelation for just a short while before rolling up the sleeves on his father’s shirt once more. 

“I have work to do, huh?” His smile was bright as the sun above their heads.


End file.
